The Confucius Institute (CI) at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad celebrated Chinese New Year, also known as Happy Spring Festival, at an hour-long ceremony that brought the different performances of Chinese culture to the audiences. UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan was the chief guest, while CI Chinese Dean Dr Zhou Changming and CI Vice Chairman/ Local Dean Prof Dr Zahir Ahmad Zahir spoke. Dean of Sciences Dr Ijaz Ahmad Bhatti; Dean of Veterinary Sciences, Dr Farzana Rizvi; Principal Officer Public Relations and Publication; Dr Jalal Arif, Treasurer Umar Saeed Qadri; Director of Research Dr Jafar Jaskani, Director External Linkages Dr Kashif Saleemi, Director Soil Sciences Dr Ghulam Murtaza, Principal Officer Estate Management Dr Nadeem Akbar, Director Planning and Development Irfan Abbas, Senior Tutor Shoukat Ali, Director Farm Shahid Ibne Zamir, Deputy Registrar Mumtaz Ali, Dr Fahad Rasul, Dr Urfa Bin Tahir and other notables attended.
The students presented heart-touching performances of Chinese culture that attracted the audience. It comprised a Taiji performance, singing, a chopstick contest, a Chinese cultural dress show, and others that enabled the audience to experience the delight of Chinese culture.
Dr Zhou Changming said that the year 2024 is the Chinese year of the dragon, and the dragon represents good fortune, prosperity, opportunity, wisdom and energy. He said it would be a great year for China and Pakistan’s friendship and cooperation. Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that the CI-UAF has completed ten years and has produced 5000 students in the Chinese language courses. He added that CI was a hallmark in strengthening academic and research ties with Chinese institutions.
He stressed the need to learn from China’s experiences in agriculture and economic development. He said that Chinese universities were proving their mettle globally in every field. He said that the UAF was enjoying excellent ties worldwide as it houses the Center for Advanced Studies, Pak Koran NutritionCenter, Seed Center and others. Dr Zahir Ahmad Zahir said China was enjoying deepened and time-tested relations that are strengthened with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. He said that all possible measures were being taken to produce skilled manpower and open up new development avenues with bilateral ties.